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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25124032">chameleon</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/esperink/pseuds/esperink'>esperink</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Sanders Sides (Web Series)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Coping, Gen, why do i bother with tagging half the time y'all</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-07-07</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-07-07</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-04 09:27:13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>431</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25124032</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/esperink/pseuds/esperink</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>"Chameleon" was an important word.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Anxiety | Virgil Sanders &amp; Deceit | Janus Sanders</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>39</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>chameleon</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>stuffs: anxiety, food mention I think</p><p>notes: I use Janus and Deceit pretty much interchangeably, because I can, y’all.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>A common misconception about chameleons is that they change color to camouflage. To blend in.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They do change color, for a completely different reason.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>This common misconception, however, was the origin of a specific code word Virgil had.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When Virgil was younger, he could go to Deceit and say, “Chameleon,” and Deceit would know what to do.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Virgil sometimes got overwhelmed, understandably, and would want to disappear. He couldn’t, but there were actions that could be taken to reduce this feeling.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Virgil had not gone to Deceit in a very long time.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A misunderstanding, a miscommunication, a few mean words were enough to spark a habit of avoidance that became outright hostility.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But...</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Footsteps echoed as Virgil walked down the hall.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sometimes things got a little too much.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He stopped at a door. He leaned against it for only a moment before pulling it open.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Empty. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He walked inside and closed the door after him and sat on the bed. He was wearing his old hoodie, hood pulled over his head and hands shoved in his pockets.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He was waiting.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The door opened, and Janus walked in. “Because that’s not strange at all,” he called out to someone in the hall, before he shook his head and closed the door. He didn’t notice Virgil, as he sat in his desk chair, sliding over to his desk to jot something down. He spun the chair, a 180, and stopped.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They stared at each other.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Janus leaned forward, elbows on his knees as he squinted at Virgil, eyes contemplative.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Virgil looked down at his socks, having taken off his shoes to pull his legs up to him on the bed, and bit his lip. His eyes flickered back up to Deceit. “Chameleon,” he said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Janus jumped into action. He slid his chair over to his closet, taking out a heavy blanket. He placed it over Virgil before sliding to his personal fridge, pulling something out and pouring it into his self-heating kettle. He grabbed hot chocolate packets from his 'extras' drawer. He put on music -- not classical, but still wordless.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Virgil pulled the heavy blanket tight around himself, looking slightly better.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Janus hesitated for a moment, but now he went back to his closet, digging through a box. He slid over to Virgil again, holding something out.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A stuffed snake.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Virgil didn’t do anything for a moment or two, staring at the stuffed animal. Deceit continued to hold it out, waiting for Virgil to either take it or shake his head.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Virgil grabbed the snake, hugging it against himself.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Janus smiled, just slightly.</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
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